Bulgur salad

Name: Bulgur salad
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 600 ml water; 1 tsp coarse salt; 250 g coarse bulgur (3 dl); 1 can of chickpeas in brine (approx. 400 g); 100 g dried apricots, in small cubes; 300 g snap peas, in halves; 300 g thawed, frozen extra fine peas; 50 g toasted pine nuts; 200 g white cheese cubes in brine 3%; 3 dl flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp lemon zest (unwaxed), finely grated; 3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 1 tsp coarse salt; Freshly churned pepper

With this Mediterranean bulgur salad, you get a salad to remember! Filled with deliciously exotic ingredients like peas, apricots, parsley, salad cheese, chickpeas, and pine nuts, you get a delightfully colourful salad with lots of different tastes and textures inspired by Mediterranean cuisine. Serve the bulgur and chickpea salad while it is still warm or use it as a cold, packed lunch that will make you want to bring your own lunch every day.

https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/bulgur-salad/

Instructions

Bring salted water to a boil in a saucepan, add bulgur, and boil it at low heat with the lid on for about 12 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and let the bulgur soak, covered, for about 12 more minutes.
Pour chickpeas into a sieve and rinse them with cold water. Let the water drizzle out.
Mix chickpeas with apricots, sugar peas, and the remaining ingredients. Fold the mix into the bulgur and season to taste.

Enjoy!

Questions about bulgur salad

Making a Mediterranean bulgur salad with fresh and tasty ingredients is quick and simple with our easy recipe. Continue reading our answers to the most frequently asked questions about bulgur salad below to learn more about the dish.

What is bulgur salad?

A bulgur salad is filling and full of flavours. It is made with boiled bulgur, chopped vegetables, and fresh herbs. Though there are no set rules for what you can use in a bulgur salad, we opted for a classic combination of chickpeas, nuts, and cheese to enhance the savoury and nutty flavours of the bulgur. While it may be served as a side dish to different proteins like steak, chicken, or lamb, the dish is certainly filling enough to be enjoyed as a lunch or light dinner on its own. It may be served either warm or cold, depending on your preferences.

How to cook bulgur wheat for salad?

To cook the main ingredient for your Mediterranean bulgur salad, first, bring salted water to a boil in a saucepan before adding the bulgur. Then, at low heat, boil it for about 12 minutes with the lid on. After you have removed the bulgur from the heat, let it soak up the remaining water for another 12 minutes. Use a fork to fluff it up before mixing it with the remaining ingredients.

How to make bulgur wheat salad?

A filling bulgur salad works well for lunch and dinner and any leftovers may easily be enjoyed as a packed lunch the next day. To make it, use the bulgur's boiling time to prepare the selection of fresh ingredients and toast the pine nuts. Remember to rinse the chickpeas before mixing them with the other ingredients. Gently mix and fold everything together and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and lemon zest for a fresh and flavourful meal.

How long will bulgur salad last?

A homemade bulgur salad will keep for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. If you do not savour all of the warm bulgur wheat salad right after making and serving, simply transfer it to an airtight container or make sure to properly cover the bowl you served it in. Serve the now cold bulgur salad as it is or bring it with you for a delicious, packed lunch.

Ingredients

Water	600 ml
Coarse salt	1 tsp
Coarse bulgur (3 dl)	250 g
Of chickpeas in brine (approx. 400 g)	1 can
Dried apricots, in small cubes	100 g
Snap peas, in halves	300 g
Thawed, frozen extra fine peas	300 g
Toasted pine nuts	50 g
White cheese cubes in brine 3%	200 g
Flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped	3 dl
Olive oil	1 tbsp
Lemon zest (unwaxed), finely grated	1 tbsp
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed	3 tbsp
Coarse salt	1 tsp
Freshly churned pepper

Bulgur salad with chickpeas

Bulgur as well as chickpeas have a nutty and earthy flavour and a tender and slightly chewy texture. Both ingredients are incredibly easy to pair with a wealth of fresh herbs and vegetables. In this chickpea bulgur salad, we have chosen to put them together with crunchy snap peas, parsley, salty salad cheese, and a selection of other delicious ingredients to create a tasty salad. 

If you are looking for other salads, we suggest having a look at our equally delicious salade Niçoise with tuna, eggs, and olives, our refreshing couscous salad with mint and watermelon, and our crispy fattoush salad with toasted bread.

Mediterranean flavours and textures

The best bulgur salad recipes yield a lot of flavour and texture, and our chickpea and bulgur wheat salad is no exception. With a selection of lovely ingredients that each brings something unique to the dish, you will be surprised and delighted by every bite.

Like many other dishes from Mediterranean cuisine, this salad with bulgur wheat is dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon zest to ensure a well-rounded tasting experience.

Sweet, dried apricot, salty salad cheese, and fresh parsley

Fresh parsley with its slightly peppery taste is known to brighten the flavours of other ingredients and stimulate your taste receptors.

This makes the combination of the mildly bitter herb, sweet apricots, and salty white cheese even more mouth-watering. The mix of chewy, soft, and crispy textures makes eating this wheat bulgur salad interesting as well as tasty, and the mix of sweet, salty, and herbaceous flavours is simply irresistible.

Use fresh and tasty ingredients

To ensure a flavour-packed bulgur salad with a lot of bite, always use fresh ingredients. Using fresh lemon and parsley, for instance, truly makes this salad's flavours pop!

The fresh lemon juice and zest brighten the dish by introducing a delicious acidity that complements the dish’s nuttiness, and fresh parsley elevates the flavour of the other ingredients. Adding to the nuttiness and bright flavours, toasting the pine nuts is well worth your time as it makes their nutty flavour even more pronounced and makes them even crunchier to bite into.

Add your own touch

An easy way to mix this recipe up to keep it fresh and exciting every time is to mix up the herbs and vegetables you use. A classic among bulgur wheat salad ideas is the combination of cucumber, tomato, red onion, and mint. This traditional tabbouleh mix tastes wonderful with the nutty bulgur and chickpeas as well as the parsley.

You could also try experimenting with the seasoning. For a Middle Eastern salad with bulgur and parsley, try using our dukkah recipe to spice things up. Dukkah is a toasted, Middle Eastern spice mix with sesame seeds, almonds, coriander, cumin, and chilli that you can use to introduce a bit of heat into this delicious wheat bulgur salad.

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